Grand Admiral Chaka Saahren has the rewards of rank ...but he doesn't have Systems Engineer Allysha Marten. Determined to keep her safe, Saahren will go to any lengths to win back the woman he loves. Allysha agrees to temporary employment by the Fleet, hoping to avoid at all costs the man she believes responsible for the death of innocent civilians, including her estranged father. Sean O'Reilly has a plan... ...and it involves hijacking Allysha and convincing her, one way or another, to do just one more job-a job that would clear his debts and save his hide. Allysha Marten must come to terms with her feelings... ...in the face of a reality that suggests she is a pawn in a growing power struggle, one where she will need all her skills and cunning to outwit a heinous plot that could result in the loss of billions of human lives. When Allysha decides to tackle the conspirators on her own, she forces an impossible choice on... The Iron Admiral.